Nesbit’s procedure at Nuffield Health at St Bartholomew's Hospital

What happens during Nesbit's procedure?

You will be given either a general (you’ll be asleep) or spinal (awake but numb from the waist down) anaesthetic and your consultant urologist will simulate an artificial erection during the operation to confirm the degree of deformity.

To correct the deformity, your consultant will deglove your penis, exposing the tissue. At the point of curvature, a wedge incision in the tissue is made on the opposite side to the curvature. This will then be stitched to straighten the penis.

The unaffected side of the penis is shortened to straighten your penis. In some cases, circumcision may also be performed at the same time to improve the outcome of the procedure.

The procedure itself takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, dependent on the severity of the curvature.

Recovery after Nesbit's procedure

Every person is different with regards to healing, but you may find it can take up to two weeks for swelling and bruising to settle. The sutures can take approximately 10-14 days to dissolve and any wound issues will be picked up by the team on return for your follow-up.

Most men with normal erections will notice results straight away.

Short-term recovery

You may experience discomfort, swelling and bruising for a few days after the procedure - painkillers will be given to you to take home Dissolvable stitches are normally used at skin level and do not require removal.

A catheter may need to be inserted into the bladder for 24 hours after the operation, to prevent any problems with passing urine. Once the catheter has been removed and you are passing urine normally, you will be able to go home. The average hospital stay is 1 night. We suggest that you have someone drive you home if you are going a fair distance.

We would advise that you have daily showers to clean the wounds and you should avoid using soap directly on the actual wound.

It is advisable to try and elevate your penis with padding or gauze to help alleviate swelling and bruising.

We advise that you should abstain from sexual penetrative intercourse for six weeks. Having normal erections during this time is normal and advised.

Risks

Every surgical procedure carries some degree of risk. Nesbit’s procedure has several potential risks, some more common than others.

More common risks include:

• Shortening of the penis (this is due to the fact that the healthy tissue on the opposite side to your curvature is incised. Shortening has also already occurred prior to surgery due to the scarring from the Peyronies Disease)
• Dissatisfaction with the cosmetic or functional result
• Temporary swelling or bruising of the penis and scrotum occasionally lasting up to two weeks.

Less common risks include:

• No guarantee that the bend will be completely corrected
• Future recurrence of the condition
• Bleeding or infection
• Impotence or difficulty maintaining erections.

Making the right decision

So that you know exactly what to expect from the results of this surgery, we encourage you to share your expectations with your consultant as early as possible. This should help you to establish a clear indication of what is realistically achievable with this procedure.

We will never pressure you to make a decision. To give yourself time to decide what’s right for you, we recommend you leave at least 2 weeks between your consultation and booking your surgery.